The Ph. D. in Innovative Urban Leadership is designed to equip practitioner-scholars and thought leaders to proactively innovate in the urban context. Potential students include seasoned and emerging leaders from a variety of settings including ministry settings, business, nonprofit, higher education, and government.
- Online Application
- Application Fee non-refundable $50.00
- Official Transcripts must be mailed directly from school granting the highest degree earned. (If lower degrees are not listed on the official transcript, the applicant may be asked to provide unofficial transcripts for those degrees.)[1]
- Three letters of Recommendation: Of these recommendations, at least one must be from an academic source. Letters must be accompanied by recommendation forms. (BGU forms available on the website). The recommendations should focus on the applicant’s ability to do academic work, complete original research and potential for leadership. Recommendations are accepted via email with a PDF attachment, fax, and/or mail directly from the recommender. (EU). The other two recommendations should be from one professional and one ministerial colleague.
- Current Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Applicant Essay: Applicants will write a two to five-page narrative describing five or more years of leadership experiences and research experience that they have had. This essay will be evaluated in the areas of supervisory responsibilities, entrepreneurial initiatives, professional credentials, and the level of management position(s) within the respective organizations, and knowledge/skills in conducting research.
- Statement of Purpose: Applicants must submit a four-page essay addressing how the program goals coincide with the student’s personal and professional objectives. Applicants should address what their goals will be once they obtain the degree. The essay will be evaluated on the basis of content, presentation, and evidence of doctoral-level writing ability.
- Academic Writing Sample: Applicants are required to submit an academic writing sample.
- Photograph
- Photo Identification:
- For all applicants: A photocopy of a valid passport (photo page).
- For all applicants applying for a student loan/FAFSA: Proof of US citizenship or US residency (must be a US Passport or US Birth Certificate and Driver’s License or valid US residency/green card.
- Personal Learning Community (a minimum of three signed agreements)
TOEFL Score or Waiver Request (if English is not native/first language)
[1] Academic transcripts from non-US academic institutions may be evaluated by an outside firm like Evaluation World LLC (www.evaluationworld.com). Any fees associated with that evaluation must be paid by the student before he/she is admitted to any BGU degree program.All application materials and forms should be completed and returned to the BGU Office of Admissions. The applicant will then be invited to have an interview with two members of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee.
BGU has a rolling admissions process and complete application files are reviewed when the Academic Cabinet meets on the first Thursday of each month. If an applicant has submitted the online application, he/she enters Application Pending status. In that status, he/she has up to 9 months to submit the additional required documentation to complete the application file. Any application that is not completed within 9 months will expire and the applicant is moved to Prospect status. Applicants who have confirmed with the registrar that they intend to take classes as part of a Preliminary Period shall have one year to complete the required courses in order to continue with the Two-Step Application Process.
When the application has been approved by the Academic Dean, a letter of acceptance will be emailed to the applicant. The applicant is then asked to sign a Student Agreement in which he/she formally accepts the offer to become a BGU student and agrees to pay tuition for all courses taken at BGU, etc. At this time the applicant also submits a signed Student Statement, affirming that he/she will respect BGU’s doctrinal statement and Code of Conduct while a BGU student.
Applicants are permitted to take up to two classes (maximum 6 credits for master’s applicants or 8 credits for doctoral or Ph. D. applicants) before being admitted into a BGU degree program. Applicants must understand that they are taking these classes at their own risk since there is no guarantee of admission into the desired program. Applicants must also understand they are taking these classes at their own expense. Only accepted students may apply for BGU scholarships, which are not retroactive.
Transfer of Credits
A maximum of 28 credits of doctoral-level work in the concentration may be transferred into the Ph.D. program at the discretion of the Academic Cabinet.
GPA Requirement
Students who have a doctorate should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students who have a masters should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5.
Read the article by Ph.D. Academic Coordinator, Dr. Les Hirst:
"Pursuing a Ph.D. is usually considered to be a high-brow, very theoretical, university-focused, imminently unpractical research endeavor. That is the opposite of what BGU stands for: transformation of society focusing on urban settings, its challenges, and joys. Our vision continues unchanged: to offer quality leadership development to Kingdom leaders in urban settings around the globe.” Read more
